Sunday, December 2, 2012

FLOW



   In our previous classes we talked about flow according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In the flow, one is highly focused and not easily distracted. One tends to have an overall sense of satisfaction due to a balance of challenge and skill which ultimately leads to mastery.


Today I believe I may have reached the stage of being in, "flow." I went to the library around noon today and I started revising my notes for one of my materials science classes. I got bored mid-way so I decided to take a 5 minute break and then go back to that subject. I kept looking to see how many pages I had left to read in the required sections. However once I started my biomaterials homework, I actually went into flow. I completely forgot time existed as I began searching for information on skin grafts and the effect of chondrotin sulfate as a major contributor to the surrounding dermis as a glycosaminoglycan. I effortlessly read countless of websites about wound healing and the stages of a burn. I wasn't even tempted to check my phone for a text message. Nevertheless, it wasn't until my stomach started rumbling did I realize I was hungry and I had been working on biomaterials for 3 hours straight. I was amazed at how much work that I had accomplished in what seemed only an hour of my time. It was as if it was only myself, my Dell laptop, and my notebook existed for that given amount time. I didn't even realize that the music from my Pandora station had stopped playing because I had been listening to it for so long. Being in the flow further confirmed how I want to go into implants and prosthetics. I hope I can get into this flow state for my other classes, especially before my finals start.

Also, there is a really cool app game called flow which I highly recommend to anybody who wants to spend some down time during exams.

2 comments:

  1. It's great you were able to reach this state of mind. Wish I could say the same for myself. Good luck on exams!

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  2. Wow, that's awesome Karis. Not only am I jealous of how much you enjoy your work right now, but it's really impressive that you've found a career path that interests you so deeply. Congratulations and good luck!

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